Phishing scams impersonating Japanese National Tax Agency and police

Fraudulent emails impersonating the National Tax Agency (NTA) of Japan have been identified circulating on social media. These phishing attempts claim that the deadline for receiving income tax refunds is approaching and warn that funds will be forfeited to the national treasury if immediate action is not taken.

The malicious emails urge recipients to download a fake Android version of the e-Tax app, despite the official service having ended in 2021. Investigations into the provided links revealed they lead to domains unrelated to the NTA, often resulting in 404 errors or redirecting to dummy sites.

In addition to tax-related scams, fraudulent emails claiming to be from the Police Headquarters regarding traffic violations have also been reported. These messages mimic official traffic violation notices and prompt users to download PDF files via suspicious links. The NTA and the Metropolitan Police Department have both issued warnings, noting that official agencies do not use email to demand urgent procedures or app downloads.